Beautifully performed by I Fagiolini with soloists and countless continuo parts, the polychoral effects are striking . . . Striggio's secular madrigals are more alluring, and at the end comes Tallis's more famous 40-part "Spem in alium", done here with instruments, incomparably more subtle and moving, a masterpiece.

This is his landmark mid-1500s Mass for 40 solo parts, expanding to an astonishing 60 for the final Agnus Dei. Its impact in this premiere recording by the voices and period instruments of I Fagiolini under Robert Hollingworth is terrific . . . the supplementary instruments here are entirely in the Renaissance spirit and add marvellous piquancy.

[A] unique recording . . . The result reproduces both the grandeur and intimacy of the music, and imaginatively brings together not just voices but the full gamut of Renaissance instrumental colour, including strings, brass, wind and lutes.

Record Review /
Classicalsource.com / 14. March 2011

. . . sumptuous in sound yet remarkably pure-sounding . . .

Record Review /
Jessica Duchen,
Independent (London) / 18. March 2011

. . . a superb account of a masterpiece . . .

Record Review /
Warwick Thompson,
Metro / 18. March 2011

The instruments . . . contribute to the spacious sonorities, and add delicate moments of colour.

[The choral writing] unfolds in a stream of sacred radiance, here given added splendor through the distinctive colors of period instruments. It will hold you spellbound . . . The British vocal ensemble I Fagiolini performs with shimmering urgency . . .

A landmark work for Striggio, beautifully recorded and lovingly executed . . . I found the effect, even in standard good-sounding stereo, to be quite alluring . . . The result is very effective and wonderfully beautiful . . . The rest of the album, the motets by Striggio and the brief piece by Vincenzo Galilei are equally affecting and worth entries on this disc, and the whole is easily recommendable.

Record Review /
Steven Ritter,
Audiophile Audition / 05. July 2011

. . . [With the] rediscovery of this work, and now Robert Hollingworth and I Fagiolini's splendid recording . . . the world of early music scholarship and performance has arguably entered a new era, in terms we understand and approach Renaissance vocal music. Hollingworth has excelled himself in creating a convincing performance paradigm for polychoral Renaissance music, and, in conjunction with Decca's fine production, has displayed the marvels of this Mass (and related repertory) to the listening public . . . some of the finest voices in the early music world . . . [the lirone is] beautifully played by Erin Headly . . . The opening of the first Kyrie [is simply thrilling] . . . The beauty of the opening augurs well for the following movements, in which the contrast in tone colours between the different choirs is quite remarkable; I particularly like the rasping energy of the double reeds at "Laudamus te" in the Gloria . . . There are many sudden shifts between moments for small and large ensemble, and the entire group makes the most of the dramatic possibilities presented by these changes . . . the lyrical phrasing of voices and instruments in various flowing melismas displays exquisite taste and fine sensitivity . . . I cannot praise the entire production highly enough; every lover of early music should own this recording. It documents some of the finest research into manuscript sources and performance practice that has been produced in the last 30 years . . . the sheer popularity of this recording attests to the ways in which the highest standards of scholarship and performance continue to make waves amongst the general population of music-lovers.

Record Review /
David R.M. Irving,
Early Music (Cambridge) / 01. November 2011

Robert Hollingworth does a superlative job of controlling and balancing the various forces at his disposal, creating a miracle of clarity. Each entry is distinct, yet integrated along with the rest, and the phrasing is at once broadly arched yet carefully detailed . . . The sound is suited to the treatment . . . [it earned an] easy entry in my Want List for 2011.

. . . [this recording should] stand as an essential reference point for decades to come . . . [Fagiolini's singers] manage to enliven individual words and phrases while producing great tonal weight, intensified by the ringing purity of their intonation and superb recorded sound.